Nigerian Government Warns of Economic Fallout from Demands for Unrealistic Minimum Wage

The Nigerian Federal Government has advised organized labor to consider the economic implications of pushing for an unrealistic higher national minimum wage. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, highlighted that the N250,000 minimum wage demanded by labor could harm the economy, result in mass worker layoffs, and endanger the welfare of Nigerians.

Labor unions have opposed President Bola Tinubu’s assertions of reaching an agreement on the new national minimum wage, with state governors stating an inability to sustain a minimum wage higher than N60,000. Union members have rejected offers from the federal government and the private sector, labeling them as a “starvation wage”. Idris emphasized the necessity of a realistic wage system to prevent mass layoffs and address workers’ necessities, citing efforts to reduce the cost of living such as the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Programme.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Idris Idris, has urged religious leaders to enhance public awareness of government initiatives, underlining the importance of clergy in disseminating information about available opportunities and ongoing government endeavors.

The Minister highlighted the influential voice of religious leaders, acknowledging their capacity to educate Nigerians about their entitlements, obligations, and economic prospects emanating from the policies under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The agenda aims to bolster economic growth, enhance national security, promote agriculture and food security, and modernize infrastructure and transportation systems. Archbishop Leonard Kawas, the National President of the Charismatic Bishop Conference, reaffirmed the organization’s staunch support for Tinubu’s administration, emphasizing their dedication to collaborative endeavors to achieve the nation’s shared aspirations.

In response to President Tinubu’s pledge to negotiate earnestly with organized labor on the new national minimum wage, the National Labour Congress (NLC) has maintained its stance on the N250,000 minimum wage, rejecting the government’s offer of N62,000 as insufficient.